Apparatus for reclaiming oil from exhaust-steam.



' M. COLLINS.

APPARATUS FOR RECLAIMING OIL FROM EXHAUST STEAM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20, I914.

Patented May 18, 1915 WITNESSES MICHAEL COLLINS, or rHILADELrHIA, PENNSYLVANIA. APPARATUS FOR BECLAIMING oinrnomnxnausr-srmm.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 20, 1914. Serial No. 819,907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL COLLINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Reclaiming Oil from Exhaust- Steam, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a novel, simple and etficient apparatus for reclaiming oil from exhaust steam, and to this end my invention consists of the elements and the combinations of them of the apparatus hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1, is an elevation, partly in section, illustrating a form of embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2, is a vertical' section through the oil extractor, on line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Referring to the drawings, 3' designates a portion of a steam engine and 4 the steam exhaust pipe leading from the engine. The exhaust pipe 4 has a vertical portion 5 provided with a back pressure valve 6 in the upper portion thereof by means of which the desired low steam pressure may be retained in the exhaust pipe 4 in the usual well known manner.

Included in the exhaust pipe 4 is an oil extractor 7, and connected to the exhaust pipe between the back pressure valve 6 and the oil extractor 7 are one or more pipes 8, as usual, through which steam may pass to the heating system ofa building or to any suitable device for any useful purpose. The oil extractor 7 may be of any approved type,

' and as herein illustrated it comprises a casing 9 forming upper and lower compartments 10 and 11 and a baffle plate 12 in the upper compartment. The upper compartment 10 is included in the exhaust pipe 4 and the baffle plate 12 extends transversely to the exhaust pipe and interrupts the direct line of communication between the portions of the exhaust pipe leadingto and from the oil extractor, the plate 12 being provided with suitable side openings 13 through which the steam may pass. As the steam passes through the exhaust pipe 4 in the direction of the arrows, the steam strikes the baflie plate 12 and is thereby deflected to the side openings 13. The oil carried by the steam collects upon the plate 12 and a portion of the steam condenses and the condensed steam' or water alsocollects upon the plate 12 and the oil and water flows downwardly therefrom. to the compartment 11. This means of collecting the oil and water from exhaust steam is common and Well known.

Connected to the lower end of the lower compartment 11' is a pipe 14 adapted to re ceive oil and water therefrom.. The pipe 14 has a downwardly extending loop 15 formed therein. The upper end of one side of the loop 15 communicates with the bottom of the Patented Ma 18'. 1915.

compartment 11, and the upper end of the other side of the loop 15 is connected to a horizontal pipe 16 and extends some distance above the pipe 16 and has its upper end open or vented to the atmosphere. The

horizontal pipe 16 is connected to the upper end of a vertical pipe 17 which extends downwardly through the interior of a closed tank 18 and has an upwardly directed lower end communicating with the lower portion of the tank, as shown. I

. Leading from the bottom of the tank 18 is a water pipe 19 having an upwardly extending loop 20 providing an overflow portion 21 some distance above the bottom of the tank 18 and below the top thereof.

' Communicating with and rising some distance above thetop of the. loop 20 is a pipe 22, the upper end of which is open or vented to the atmosphere. The pipe 19 has a downwardly extending branch 23 controlled by a valve 24 for drawing the water from the tank 18 when desired. I

Leading from the upper portion of the tank 18 is a horizontal pipe 25 connected to a vertical pipe 26 and providing an overflow portion 27 for oil above the water overflow portion 21. The pipe 26 extends some distance above the horizontal pipe 25 and the upper end of the pipe 26 is open or vented to the atmosphere. The lower end of the pipe 26 is open and discharges-into a suitable oil receptacle 27 thereunder."

The operation is as follows; As the steam,

passes through the exhaust pipe ,4, the water and oil collected within the oil extractor flows through the pipes 14, 16 and 17 to the tank 18 and is discharged upwardly in the lower portion thereof. The loop 15 in the I pipe 1.4 forms a trap below the level of the pipe 16. The weight of the body of oil and water within the trap holds the low steam pressure within the exhaust pipe 4 and prevents the escape thereof to the tank 18. As

rapidly the oil and water accumulates in the oil extractor 7 it flows therefrom to'the tank 18, the water and oil delivered to the tank being very hot, due to the heat of the s eam, and the pipe 17 extending down through the tank 18 serving to keep the oil and water within the tank in a' heatedcondition. This heating of the oil and water is important as it causes the oiL to ascend through the water within the tank and to float upon the top of the water which remains in the lower portion of the tank. As rapidly as the oil and water accumulate within the tank 18 they flow therefrom through the pipes 25 and 19, pure oil flowing through the pipe 25 and water free from oil flowing through the pipe 19. This operation takes place by reason of the fact that a body of pure oil always floats upon the top of the water within the tank 18,- and by reason of the difl'erence in gravity between the oil and water and by reason of the relative levels of the ,oil and water overflow portions 27 and 21, respectively.

The purpose of providing the vent at the top of the pipe 22 is to prevent the water or water and oilfrom being siphoned from the tank through the loop 20. I

It is well known that there is considerable variation in steam pressure in the exhaust pipe of anengine under the conditions herein described, and this variation is automatically regulated by the back pressure valve 6; and it is also known that a vacuum is created in the exhaust pipe under certain circumstances, therefore, the purpose of mviding the vent at the top of the side 0 the loop 15 near the tank 18 is to prevent any liability of a vacuum in the exhaust pipe 4 from drawing the water and oil from the tank 18 through the pipes 17 16 and 14.

I claim:

1. In apparatus'of the character described and in combination, a tank adapted to receive oil and water and provided with overflow portions maintaining oil and water levels therein, a source of supply for oil and water under varying pressures, and means to permit oil and water to flow constantlyfrom said source of supply to said tank, said means discharging oil and water into said tank at a point below the water level maintained therein and preventing the pressure within said source of supply above the level of the oil and water therein from reaching said tank.

2. In apparatus of the character described and in combination, a tank adapted to receive oil and water and provided with overflow portions maintaining oil and water levels therein, a source of supply for oil and Water under varying pressures, and a pipe affording communication between said source of supply and said tank, said pipe having a downwardlyextending loop formed therein one side of which communicates withsaid.- tank at a point below the water level maintained therein and has an overflow portionabove said water level, and the other side of which is connected to said source of supply above the overflow portion of saidloop.

3. In apparatus of the character described and in combination, a tank adapted to receive oil and water and provided with means to maintain a liquid level therein, and an inlet pipe having a downwardly-extending loop formed therein, one side of which has an overflow portion above the bottom of the loop and communicating with the tank and nected to the steam exhaust pipe of an engine.

4. In apparatus of the character described and in combination, a tank adapted to receive oil and water and provided with means to maintain a liquid level therein, and an inlet pipe having a downwardly-extending loop formed. therein, one side of said loop communicating with'the tank below the liquid level maintained therein and having an overflow portion above said'liquid' level, and the other side of said loop extending above the overflow portion and being adapted to be connected to the steam exhaust pipe of an engine.

- 5. In apparatus of the character described and in combination, a tank adapted to receive oil and water and provided with means to maintain a liquid level therein, and an inlet pipe having a downwardly-extending loop formed-therein below the liquid level maintained within the tank, one side of said WCHAEL COLLINS. Witnesses:

S. I. Ham, A. V. Gnourn. 

